It's About Time
by MarioMan247
Summary: My first fanfic! Shinji Ikari has a life changing encounter one day, and Maya Ibuki gets dragged along too. Is this really what it seems? Chaos and romance ensues. I do NOT own anything- hence why it is called a fanfic. Please leave reviews, comments, and suggestions. Enjoy. *SKIP TO CHAPTER 3 FOR THE REALLY GOOD STUFF TO BEGIN*
1. 4 AM

_Chapter 1_

_ Shinji Ikari. Third Child. Pilot 01. So what?_ Shinji thought to himself. He couldn't wrap his head around the countless titles he had been given. To him it wasn't THAT big of a deal.

NERV had made a public statements at the United Nation's press conferences. He was often told he was a hero, by his peers, for saving Tokyo-3. _It's not that big of a deal. I'm just doing my job. It's not like I'm a REAL hero like Denjin Zaboger_.

He sat quietly on the bench waiting for the subway to arrive. He had gotten up early by accident. Long story short, Asuka had set his alarm clock to go off 2 HOURS EARLY, waking him up at 4 AM. All because Asuka wanted to deal some payback for some stupid shit. He thought he should get to school early, avoid Asuka, and get some more sleep on the ride to and at school.

The subway finally arrived. He grabbed his stuff and shuffled onto the subway before the driver could decide to leave him.

The cart bumped often. Shinji tossed and turned a lot on the train before finally giving up. _What's the point? By the time I get any rest, school's gonna start._ He looked left and right, reassuring he was the only one on the train. He put his backpack on a seat and laid down, head on his backpack until...

CLANK! "Ouch! What the hell was that!" He blurted. He quickly covered his mouth and looked ready to apologize. He opened his backpack and found something unusual in there: a can of UCC™ coffee with a NERV logo on it. inspecting it carefully it said "NERV: a proud sponsor of UCC".

_When the hell did NERV need to use product placement for funding!?_ he thought as he held the can in his hand.

2 Hours Later

He got to school at 5:30 am. But now it was 6:30am and he couldn't wait to get some sleep. He put his head against the wall and shut his eyes.

"Hey!" said two voices. Shinji's eyes shot open instantly and guess who was there? It was none other than the two stooges: Toji and Kensuke.

"What are you doin' here so early?" Toji asked has he gave Shinji a loud slap on the back. Shinji got up quickly, grabbing his stuff. "I could ask you two the same thing" Shinji responded. "We're trying to set up a sign that'll get Hika—I-I-I-I mean class rep's attention" Kensuke said, saving himself from a beating. "Think of it as a confession". "The whole school will see it too, you know" Shinji said.

A look of panic spread on Toji's and Kensuke's faces! "Crap! I didn't think of that!" Toji shrieked. He grabbed Kensuke and shook him voilently.

"Why didn't YOU think of this!?"

"It was YOUR idea!"

They began pushing each other. And then they started slapping each other, showing why they were 2 of three 3 stooges. Shinji, too tired to be bothered by them, walked away. He tried to stay to fall asleep and peace had finally been found. He started to get some sleep.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! RING! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! RING! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! RING!

Shinji groaned as he got up and scrambled to get his cell phone out of his backpack. He picked it up. "He-He-Hello?"

"SHINJI, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Shinji pulled the phone away from his ear to see if his hearing and eardrum were still intact. It was Misato. _I can't tell if she's angry, drunk, or both! Then again she might just be fine and loud._

"SHINJI! YOU BETTER ANSWER ME THIS MINUTE!" _Why does she have to sound like a mom __**now**__!?_ He put the phone back on his ear and braced for fourth impact (in his ear).

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"I can't believe you left!"

"I always leave to go to school."

"But today we had plans Shinji; I told you last week."

"What Plans!?"

"You Have to do another sync test today! How could you for-BRAAAAAAAP!" _Leave to Misato to drink at this hour. And I only forgot because goddamn Asuka reset my alarm!_

"What am I Supposed to do? I'm at school and it starts in a half hour!"

"I'll get NERV to send an escort for you. Maybe your dad can pick you up" she evilly joked.

"Misato!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

_I hate it when she hangs up on me. But I hate it even more when she jokes about my dad like that. _He walked outside the school gate and sulked against the fence, like be usually did.

Some Time Later

Shinji almost got some sleep but then a voice called him.

"Are you Shinji Ikari?" It was a soft, feminine voice. It sounded heavenly. He flustered his eyes open. He was met by a girl with Short, dark-brown hair, and a tan military uniform (from the waist up). She bended down to see his face. Shinji got up, and he was groggy. He stumbled around so much that he could be confused for a drunk.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Shinji couldn't even answer the question because he was too tired. _I really hope he is okay. Especially since he has the sync test today._ Shinji had to be helped by Maya to get in the car. _ I really hope he's not dying and NERV doesn't know it. I wish I could do something._ All she did was hop in her car and drive off, leaving the school behind

I really hope you enjoyed this slow first chapter. I plaqn to have the romance start in chapter 3. So in the review box, please give feed back and suggestions.

Thanks for reading


	2. Another Car Ride, I Guess

Please Read, Rate, and Subscribe. It is really appreciated. Suggestions are also appreciated. I DO NOT own anything. If I did, THIS story would've had been an officially Licensed Spin-off like "NGE: Angelic Days"

Chapter 2

As soon as Shinji felt the air conditioning in Maya's car he felt a stronger urge to sleep more than ever.

"Soooooooo...um...what...why...eh" she fumbled.

Maya couldn't find anything to say to strike up a conversation with Shinji. He reclined his chair and his hair blew in the breeze emitted from the AC. Shinji, not wanting to bother Maya, reached into his backpack and reached for his SDAT player.

Suddenly, the car went B-BUMP as it hit a speed bump. "Aaagh!" Shinji yelled as his SDAT player hit the car's floor hard.

"What's that ya got there?" She asked.

"Oh this. It's my SDAT; I use it to listen to my music whenever...well...all the time really."

"May I see it?"

"Sure."

She picked up the SDAT, and quickly pulled the cassette tape out. Shinji flipped into panic mode.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he exclaimed.

"Calm down. Don't get your panties in a twist." _'No wonder the Commander thinks so poorly of you_

She gave Shinji a reassured look and let out a small smirk on her face. "All I want to do is hear what kind of music you listen to." She had the tape ready to put into her car's cassette player. "I promise I won't break your tape" she said confidently as he pushed the cassette completely in.

Instantly, the air filled with classical music playing. A bouquet of soft piano, violins, cellos and a lone trumpet bounced against the cars walls.

_'This music really is relaxing, especially considering how hectic the work at NERV is'_ maya thought to herself

Shinji tried to gather his stuff but accidentally grabbed his backpack the wrong way and everything spilled out all over the floor.

"Gah! I'm so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so sorry!" he apologized while picking up his stuff.

He scrambled to gather his papers and writing utensils and then something rolled along the floor with a THUD!. He picked it up and it caught Maya's attention. She squealed with excitement

"Is that the new NERV licensed UCC Coffee?" she asked.

"Yeah." _'How'd this even get here in the first place? Why DO I even have this thing?'_

"Can I see it Shin-chan?"

He handed her the can as she stared in awe with it. She quickly looked at him.

"It IS okay if I call you 'Shin-chan', right?"

"I don't really care."

All she did was stare at him. He now captured her attention all of it.

_'Is he really like this? It's boring and...depressing.'_

Shinji's eyes opened wide

"Maya!"

He grabbed the steering wheel and maneuvered the car and prevented a possible collision. We has thanked by angry drivers' rants and horns as they passed.

"Shinji, you just saved us!" She exclaimed.

She then leaned in to give Shinji a hug. She was met by a palm, refraining her from completing her attempt at a hug.

"Maya..."

Shinji took back the coffee can and shut off the music creating an air of silence.

"Maybe you should just focus on driving" Shinji said while trying not to be rude.

"Oh, I understand" Maya replied apologetically.

The rest of the drive was a silent one, and Shinji still did not get any rest.

Sorry that this chapter was shorter than the last one.

The romance will probably kick off (Finally) in the next chapter. Any ideas and suggestions are appreciated. Please read and review.

Thanks for reading


	3. This is Why I Hate Tests

It's About time CH3

Here is another chapter for you guys, so enjoy.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

"Okay, you can finish up, third child" Ritsuko stated.

He was glad that the sync test was finally over. He got out of the Eva, and was eager to change into to normal clothes but couldn't, in case more tests had to be done. He was tired and hungry. The tests had gone on for seven hours now. He felt was being strangled by his plug suit which had never happened before.

_'Why is the plug suit bothering me. The only times I had problems fighting in the Eva was when I first did it, and that was because I wasn't used to the LCL' _He thought

He looked at wrists and saw three of them. He felt something wet on him. He wiped it with his hand, looked at it, and sniffed it.

_'It's not LCL.'_

He sniffed again.

_'It's not blood either.'_

Suddenly, he felt more of the substance on his face. He realized it was sweat. He started to sweat to where puddles were forming on the ground. The blurring suddenly stopped.

"Shinji Ikari, you are to report to the briefing room immediately" Ristuko announced over the intercom.

"Got it" he said aloud to no one.

He started to walk again, still sweating. He was making his best effort to go as fast as he could, but NERV's set up had complicated paths in case any intruder tried to escape. And the set up had only slowed Shinji down.

He was near the briefing room when suddenly...

"Where do you think _your_ going?" a girl voice asked.

Shinji turned around. It was Asuka. He could only describe her in one word: BITCH. He only replied with the one word he could.

"Asuka."

"Answer me, Baka!"

"Didn't you hear them call me over the..."

"I don't care what they say, Third Child" she interrupted. But I gotta tell you, your performance today was..."

"I don't have time, Asuka!" he yelled.

"Then make time"

"I won't!"

He proceeded to continue walking when Asuka got in front of him.

"Or What?"

He tried to brush on through but she pushed him back. Shinji tried to charge through but Asuka held him back with one hand. He let out grunts of effort. As a result Shinji sweated more.

"Ya know, Shinji, this is one the benefits of being a taller, better pilot out of the two of us.

Shinji, angered by Asuka's act, put all his strength in.

"AAAAAAAH!" he let out his cry of anger.

Asuka let go of her hand, sending an angry Shinji flying into a metal railing, head-first.

"Hahahahahaha! Oh. You crack me up Shinji. Hahahahaha!"

He got up and collected himself , putting a hand on his aching head.

_'Got die in a hell-hole bitch. Your red hair is a sign of Satan himself'_ he thought to himself as Asuka's laughter faded into the distance.

"Shinji Ikari, report to the briefing room immediately" Ritsuko reported over the intercom again.

He got closer to the room when another voice stopped him.

"Shinji."

He made two fists and lashed out in fury.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU..."

His face instantly mellowed when he saw who it was.

"I'm sorry, Rei. I thought you were Asuka for a second."

"Apology accepted. She can be quite irksome at times."

"Excuse me. I gotta go before..."

"Shinji Ikari, get your ass here this instant!" Misato honked over the intercom

"No need to get rough, Misato, he's probably a little drained." He voice echoed across NERV.

"It's been Ten Minutes!" She blared from the top of her vocal chords. "If he gets any later, the commander while have our fucking asses cut off and well be in real, serious,sh-"

Misato's voice had been cut off in the middle of her rant, saving everybody from a splitting headache.

"I understand, Ikari-kun. I shall not delay you any further."

He forgot Rei was there and kept on walking

_'Misato really needs to lay off the booze'_ Shinji thought.

He finally arrived at the briefing room.

"Your late!" Misato said with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

_'The only other person I've sen her give that scowl to is Kaji. I always piss somebody off!"._

"Shinji!" Ritsuko snapped.

He shuffeled along and sat up on the medical tableShinji broke out of his trance and gave all his attention Ritsuko instantly. It didn't last long though. Ristuko began to give the breakdown of his test results.

"As of today your performance..."

He couldn't concentrate. He started to see two, three, then six of everything. His head suddenly hurt. If his sweat had settings , it shifted from "sprinkler" to "dam". Sound started to slow down, drastically. He tried to focus on one Ristuko with a plig suit oozing and overflowing with sweat. . All he heard was

"SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNJIIIIIIIIIIIIII! AAAAAARRRRRRREE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

He then fell forward off the table and blacked out.

"Ugh. Where am I?"

All he heard was silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" A yell of pain.

He looked around and saw no one, only him. Only lime green infirmary walls. He clutched his rib where it hurt but the pain seemed to move around his body. Slow clacking foot steps.

"Who's there?" Shiinji asked forcefully.

The person of mystery revealed itself and Shinji's eyes opened in horror when he realized who it was.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ONE WEEK LATER

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Maya was on a drive from her place to NERV.

"God I hate Mondays."

She looked at the time and quivered in fear.

"NO! Nonononononon! I am NOT gonna be late. Gonna have to grab a cup of coffee real quick!"

She floored to to the local coffee shop and screeched her car into the parking spot. She ran in and in two minutes she was out with a banana hazel nut bread slice and chocolate mocha. She took in a whiff of her coffee.

"God that smell's good!" she told aloud, as if anybody cared.

A loud groan from behind her caught her attention. She turned around and saw there was a filthy male in rags.

'_He's probably really hungry right now' she thought._

She then turned to her sugary, warm, fluffy, buttery, crunchy slice of heaven in her right hand.

_'As much as I love you, he need it more than I do.'_

She walked to the man, and squatted so that their eyes could meet.

"He you go stran-"

She stopped mid-sentence because his face looked too familiar. She looked at him again. Slashed, faded black slacks, muddy white button-up shirt.

"Shinji? I-I-Is that really you?"

That question was answered by a pair of dull, blue eyes. Maya gasped and covered her mouth in horror. She had a question in her mind and had already answered it. She took him by than hand and walked to the car with him, ignoring the negative attention, comments, and dirty looks she was getting from many of the customers.

Shinji got to the car and Maya pushed him in there. She quickly ran to her side, got in the car started it up and drove off.

SHK! Maya locked the doors from inside the car to make sure Shinji couldn't escape. Maya speed dialed a number and put it on speakerphone.

RING!RING!RING!

"Hello?" Aoba, one of Maya's co-workers answered.

"Aoba, can you do me a favor?'

"Sure"

"Tell Ristuko I'm not coming in today".

She hung up the Phone and drove where she needed to go, only with the thought of Shinji on her mind.

*****************************END OF CH3*********************************************

Hope you Guys enjoyed this chapter.

_Who was the mystery person?_

_Why is Shinji in his current situation?_

_Why did Maya help Shinji?_

_Why did Shinji Suffer?_

_Let me know what you think?_

**_Please read and review. Reviews are greatly appreciated_**

_P.S – I AM AN ASUKA FAN. I only made Asuka the way she did in this Fanfic for the plot of this fanfic only_


	4. Settle Down A Tough Nut

It's about Time CH4

Here is the latest installment in the series. Hope you enjoy and review!

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji and Maya drove for about a good 12 minutes until they encountered a gate. She rolled down the window and slowed down next to a number pad. She punched in 6 digits, each followed by a boop and a glowing number. The gate slowly opened and they finally arrived at an apartment complex.

She drove down into the parking lot and parked her car. She shut off the ignition and took out the keys.

The only thing thing she could do was stare at the dirty man next to her. Covered in layers of dirt, sweat, and grass stains.

_'To think this man right next to me is Shinji. This makes no sense.'_ Shinji kept staring down as if the rest of the world didn't exist and Maya kept staring at him.

"Get out, were going up" She commanded as she got out of the car. Shinji followed suit like a robot: no reaction nor expression. They then journeyed up a few flight of stairs.

They finally came to a peach tan door with the numbers "382" on it in beige. Maya whipped out her keys an starting trying each of them in the door. CLICK!. She opened the door and pulled Shinji in, slamming it shut after he entered. He just stood there.

Maya quickly ran down the hall and came back with a black towel.

"You're gonna take a shower. Use whatever you need to to clean yourself" she explained.

She tossed the towel to him. He caught it and proceeded to the bathroom. He went in, locked the door, and turned on the water. He got in.

Water dripped down on his face and down the drain.

_'Was I really **that** dirty?'_ he asked himself as the Hershey-black water went into the drain. He then grabbed the shampoo and washed the caked dirt off of his hair. He then grabbed the bar of soap and started scrubbing his arms.

_'Why do I put myself in these positions?'_ he wondered. He then started to cry on hand on the wall. He slumped down to the bottom of the tub and kept crying. He tried to wipe his tears.

"AH!" he yelled.

He forgot he had soap in his hand and wound up putting it in his eye.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji's shower was finally over. He grabbed the black towel dried himself and wrapped it around his waist. He headed down the hall and heard Maya giggling. When he got to the door, he saw she was talking on her cell. She was wearing a black t-shirt with "NERV" written on it and a pair of gray jeans.

"Yeah, she's doing good. No! Not like _that_ !"

She saw Shinji in the hallway and made eye contact.

"I'll call you back" she said. She hung up the phone and put in in her pocket.

She gets up and goes the counter. She walks back with two plastic bags and sets them on the table.

"C'mon. Sit. That's Dinner on the table."

Shinji walks toward Maya slowly. He leans his arms on the table.

"Where are my clothes?"

"They're in my living room."

"Thanks"

A loud FWIP was heard and Maya turned red.

"Eek!" she yelled.

"What's wrong?" He asked while looking side-to-side.

"Y-y-your tow-"

"AAAH!"

Shinji picks up the towel he didn't realize fell and ran into the living room.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji, now wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans, and Maya were at the table eating cheap take-out.

"Hope you're enjoying the food, Shinji" Maya said with a mouthful of food.

Shinji still ate silently. She let out a loud sigh and a look of disappointment spread across her face. She stopped eating and just stared at him.

"Shinji..."

He looked up at her, and waited for her to finish.

"Why were you there today?"

He just looked down and away from her. Maya got up and put her arm on him.

"Please. Shinji. Tell me" she said softly.

"They...". There was a small pause. "They hate me."

"No they don't."

"YES THEY DO!" out of his seat, staring at her.

He stormed off down the hall.

"I don't hate you" Maya said softly but no one else could hear.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hours Later

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji was alone huddled in a corner in a dark room. There was a CREAK at the door.

"Shinji! There you are. I thought you ran away."

She walked toward him and decided to huddle next to him.

"Don't worry me like that" she said softly.

Shinji's eyes widened a little and look at her. She gave him a one arm hug.

"I...I didn't mean to" Shinji replied.

"Then please tell me what happened." she pleaded.

His eyes looked down at the floor again, avoiding her gaze.

"Fine. But this stays between you and me."

"Promise." And Maya was a girl of her word.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_That's all for this chapter._

_So how do you think this is going to go?_

_How did Shinji end up there?_

_How will Maya react?_

_Give me suggestions in the review box and it could be apart of the next chapter._

_Thanks for reading._

_MarioMan247_


	5. Underground Memories

HERE is Chapter 5

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Do you remember last week, when I just seemed really out of it that day?"

"A bit of it. I really don't recall much of it: Maya answered

"We'll after we had the sync tests with Ristuko, After sweat episodes, and blurred vision...I just collapsed."

"Collapsed?"

A look of concern spread over Maya's face while Shinji's was still as stoic as ever.

**-This following is supposed to be a FLASHBACK, Narrated by Shinji. Maya is listening to Shinji narrate what happened so any dialouge by Maya seems like it interrupts the flashback.-**

"After I passed out I awoke in the NERV Hospital in pain, clutching my right rib. I only saw putrid, puke green walls. I thought mold and moss had overtaken the walls and people thought they were just painted. My attention shifted when I heard footsteps come out from the hall.

"The first thing I thought was '_Who could that be?_' I focused on the footsteps, making me forget my injury on rib, still untreated and unbandaged. The footsteps got louder and louder, CLAP-CLOP CLAP-CLOP, until a dark silhouette of a body formed in front of the hospital curtains surrounding my room. The person was tall so it couldn't have been one of the pilots.

"The curtains rustled, slid over with ease, flew to the side. And... and..."

Shinji choked on his words, not allowing him to speak, but only stutter with drops of spit

"And what?" Maya asked.

After a pause he spilled the beans all at once.

"It was my dad."

_'His dad? What could he have wanted with Shinji?'_ Maya thought.

"He quickly pushed his glasses up with his middle finger to cover his cold, stone eyes with his Neon red glasses. He just stood there. It didn't even look like he was breathing. It was like he was waiting for me to say something."

"Did you?" She inquired

"As usual, I stayed silent. Commander Ikari told me:

"'You're results today were miserable; an excuse to the rank of Pilot. You shouldn't have fell that low at all. Even fresh recruits can perform better than you.'"

"I could only think to myself '_Well I would've performed better if Asuka didn't...i don't know...SET MY ALARM TO GO OFF AT FOUR IN THE GODDAMN MORNING!'"_

_'That explains why Shinji was so sleepy that morning' _Maya remembered.

"He then told me 'Such failures shall not be tolerated as well as any excuse that goes along with it.' He then removed his classes and cleaned them with his shirt. 'Shinji Ikari...'"

He gave me a glare, a glare I dreaded to see. His awful I'm-up-to-no-good-stare.

"'No Father' I cried"

"' You are hereby...' he continued putting his glasses back on"

"'Don't you dare do it!' I yelled, with tears welling up in my eyes"

"'...Relieved of your duties. As of now you, are no Longer part of NERV and you no longer are allowed to stay within the city walls of Tokyo-3.'"

"He began to walk away. I was silent out of sadness and anger. Half-way down the hall, he stopped in his tracks and said something I'll never forget and never forgive him for.

"Shinji, as a pilot you were great. But as a son, you were much worse.' And then he walked off, not looking back."

*****Flashback Narration END*****

"After I was escorted back, I was told I had five days to find a new place to move to, and they wouldn't help me."

"Please tell me you told somebody. Asuka, Rei, Misato, Ristuko" she pleaded.

"I didn't tell anyone. Rei only knew because she's the Child the Commander wished he had. She agreed with the commander's decisions"

They both just sat there in the dark, dreary, blue room.

"Does anyone know where you are, Shinji?"

"Nope. I left everything behind including my cell phone and SDAT player. Why?" he wondered

"I have an idea, and it might sound crazy though" Maya told him as she looked at him.

'_**Crazy**__? That's never a I word I want to hear in the same sentence as __**idea**__. Last time I heard them together Misato...just..."_ Shinji's body shivered as he started to remember.

"Shinji" Maya said softly, looking him in the eyes.

Shinji blushed furiously and almost flipped out, but he kept his composure. She leaned in closer to him almost face to face.

'_I can feel her breath on my face. Can't she back up a bit?_'

"Shinji, I'll let you..." she whispered nearing his ear.

Shinji went from beet red to Asuka plug suit red in no time flat.

'_Oh my God, she's __**THAT**__ kind of girl!? I'm not ready for something like this_' he panicked, unable to move.

"Stay with me." She finished

"Huh?" Shinji said off guard.

"If no one knows where you are, I'll let you stay with me in hiding."

"Maya..."

"You don't have to..."

"Thanks" he said softly whiile embracing her with a hug.

"Oh, Shinji" she replied.

Unknown to her, a few tears leaked out of Shinji's eye. Whether they were tears of sadness or joy, Shinji himself did not know.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Any question's, concerns, **SUGGESTIONS**, put it in the _REVIEW_.

Thanks for reading.

Until next chapter

MarioMan247


	6. Let's Play Detective

Here the finally, long awaited, Chapter 6. I Apologize for the long wait. It's hard to write when you have 3 AP classes to take. Hope you enjoy!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Sir, what about the Third Child? Some Missions will become more difficult without the much needed pilot" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Rei will simply have to double her efforts as well as the second child. In the meantime find out more about a fourth Child. I want this done discreetly, swiftly, and professionally" Gendo replied coldly. He straightened his jacket, pushed up his glasses, and stood up.

"And please do hurry" Gendo said as he left the room. On his way out he thought to himself "_I better call my stress reliever_". He pulled out his phone and speed dialed the main office. "Please inform Dr. Akagi I wish to discuss personal business with her after hours. Thank you." He put the phone away and kept his angered shield up.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"Shinji. Shinji. Wake up for a second" Maya said calmly, shaking a very sleepy Shinji.

Shinji dragged his head off the gray, comfy sofa and striped blanket. Shinji groggily opened his eyes, trying to keep them up as he did his best to focus on his roommate.

"You know where everything is. My cell number is scribbled on the fridge. Don't be afraid to call me."

A small, inviting smile smile crept upon Maya's face subconsciously.

"And if you need anything, just take it."

She knelled down to where their eyes we at the same level.

"Remember: This place is OUR place now."

She walked to the kitchen, taking her time. She came out with her laptop in bother her arms, covered by a mountain of paper. She walked to the door and struggled to open it.

"Ya need any help?" a barely-awake Shinji asked.

"No, I'm good" she replied as she opened the door. "Remember, I'll be there if you need me" she said as she closed the door. SLAM! As Maya started up her car, Shinji headed off back into a sleep.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

**Meanwhile at NERV**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!?" Misato spewed at Ritsuko.

"Calm down, you Drunken Harlot. Give me a second."

She let out a long, deep breath.

"Sorry. I was told that the cCommander wanted to speak with me when work is over. Too bad I already know what happens: 2 hours of him trying to be this macho man with a fake manly voice. He's not even that good, but telling him would break him. Him thinking he's doing good when in reality he's just a..."

"Just tell me what I need to know!" she raged with her spit flying everywhere like a sprinkler system.

Ritsuko simply wiped her face, getting rid of Misato's spit shower.

"After his status was terminated, we didn't bother to keep tabs on him."

Misato was taken aback.

"Kowing NERV", she continued, "no one is really going to do it unless there's a bigger paycheck. Knowing Commander "five-second-sam" Ikari, that's not going to happen."

"_So there's no way of knowing where Shinji is? Why didn't he come to me for help?_" Misato thought.

Suddenly Aoba barged into Ristuko's office followed by Makoto. The were huffing and their faces screamed urgency. Dr. Akagi became concerned. Misato was still deep in her thoughts.

"Misato!" Aoba screamed, snapping her out of her inner monologue.

"What is it?" she replied, unaware of the set up.

"Something huge came out of your lunchbox! It was solid and slimy. It's burning everything. It made the cofee machine explode. The color...it's something humanity has never seen before! We think it's alien life!"

"_So that's why Shinji didn't come to me for help" Misato concluded._

"_Misato, will your cooking **ever** improve?" _she asked herself as she put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it with her lighter.

"I wouldn't worry about it you guys" Misato told the techs.

"What do you mean we shouldn't worry!" Aoba screeched.

"Did you not hear that it burns everything it touches!?" Makoto supported.

"Yes, why shouldn't we be concerned?" Ristuko teased her co-worker. She inhaled and let out a puff of smoke from her burgundy lips.

"I'll tell you if you can answer one question"

The two techs anticipated her question.

"Would you know anything about where Shinji Ikari is?" she asked accompannied with a scowl of death.

The two techs thought hard about which was worse: fighting an angry Misato or dealing with the new explosive monster in the office.

"I'm sorry Misato. We don't know anything about where he is. If we knew anything about the Third Child, we'd tell you. Sorry." Matoko answered. Both of the techs, not looking at each other, agreed to keep their mouth shut. They knew this was an answer that would spare their loves for a few days at least.

Footsteps were heard coming in their direction. The two tech's yelled and screamed for their life, running away, fearing it was the commander or Misato's experiment. The footstep continued to go TMP TMP TMP TMP. Ritsuko put out her cigarette while Misato tried to fix her uniform, making it look more professional and work-appropriate. The both stood tall until they saw a short brown-haired girl in front of the door with a laptop and the Mount Everest of work paper. Maya missteped and the mountain of papers fell in Ritsuko's office.

"I'm sorry" Maya as she bowed. She then got on her knees and began to pick up the papers alone. At the speed she was picking it up, she would've been done in about a minute.

"Maya?" Misato started

"Yes?" Maya replied, not looking, getting half-way through her pile.

"Do you know anything about Shinji's whereabouts?"

Maya got paralyzed in fear and dropped her papers. Her pupil's opened wide and stopped in fear.

"_Shinji! I hope they didn't figure me out! I gotta keep my mouth shut. For Shinji's sake_" Maya scolded herself.

"Would you know anything-anything at all Maya?" The faux blonde asked.

"I—I—Idont'tknowanythinggottagothebridgeneedsme!" she slurred as she got up and ran out of the office.

"Maya you forgot-" Ritsuko put her hand on Misato's shoulder, stopper her from finishing her thoughts.

"Just help me pick up the Papers. I'll give them to her after-hours." She told Misato.

"Fine" Misato complained as knelled as she began picking up the papers.

"_And I have My own questions to ask that Bridge Bunny. Gendo, you'll have to reschedule_" Ristuko planned.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

**Sorry for such a long wait. I wish I had more time to write this. SO please, give feed back and I'll try to update faster.**

Sincerely,

MarioMan247


	7. A Shift (Somewhere)

It's About Time CH 7

**SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SUCH A LONG TIME**. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Maya had just escaped the Spanish Inquisition her superiors had planned for her. She slightly froze in fear as she realized she would have to encounter them again to get the papers she left behind. She proceeded to the main the bridge and saw the Commander and Fuyutsuki having a conversation, heading her way. Shmanaged to overhear a bit

"Sir, our defenses are practically useless without the third child. I sthink you sould reconsider-"

"There is no point Fuyustuki! We had top defenses with only Rei. Not to mention we have the second child as well."

"But sir..."

"This is the end of the discussion..."

They continued their conversation as it faded with them as they went down the hall way.

_'He can't even forgive his son for having a bad test mark?_'She then huffed off to her post, with the image of beating Gendo with her laptop.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji woke up alone after his continued sleep. He walked into the kitchen and yawned.

"'1:32'!? How much did i sleep?" His stomach then growled, causing him to go to the fridge.

"Let's see what we got here." To his dismay, there was nothing except weight protein bars and shakes.

"No real food. How does she expect me to eat anything when all we have is...this. I can't make a salad with diet shakes,,,can I?"

He gulped when he realized the only option was to go outside.

He then ran to his room, changed into a casual uniform, and left a note on the fridge that read "Went to the market. Will be back in a bit - Shinji". He was about to head out until he remembered he was supposedly no longer in Tokyo-3.

He quickly grabbed a hat and put it on so that his face was covered. He then took the brave step out the door.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Shinji was almost done shopping; his basket filled with few meats, cheeses, and was currently stocking up on his produce arsenal.

"I' think she likes red apples," he spoke to himself.

"They call these oranges? Hmph. Back in Germany these were a lot better!" an all-too-familiar female voice spat.

"Not so loud! You're supposed to be somewhere. The only reason I'm here is because you dragged me into this" a softer voice scolded.

"_It's Asuka!_" he thought. He shifted his eyes around, noticing her with Hikari. "_Gotta get out of here_!" He then carefully around them and calmly made his way to the seafood section of the store. "_I must run away. i MUST run away!_" he commanded himself.

"_I'm home free!_" he cheered in his mind until he bumped into someone. All of their objects fell on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, so, so ,sorry" he apologized while picking up all the belongings.

"Ikari-kun" the other person spoke. He recognized that emotionless voice from anywhere.

"Rei." He made eye contact with her and, as usual, she had no expression.

"Ikari-kun, what are you doing her" her dead voice droned.

"Well...ya know...visiting" A slight nervous laugh escaped him

"Then let me see your visitor's permission card"

"_I didn't think this would happen_" he thought. "It's back at the hotel where I'm staying." In a few seconds of silence, the tension rose over.

"I know you are lying Ikari-kun."

"Don't!" he yelled frantically. "Don't tell the Commander!" Rei pondered for a while.

"I will only inform the commander if he explicitly interrogates about such an issue. Do you understand?"

"Yes" he responded while letting out a loud gulp.

"I will...as you say...'see you around.'" She contemplated , walking away, whether or not she did the right thing.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"It's almost 6. Maya should be back." On signal, the door creaked open with a pair of keys jingling.

"I'm back" Maya announced. "Whatcha making Shinji?" She walked to the kitchen in a trance, controlled by the aroma coming from the kitchen. Shinji reached over to his right and grabbed a bottle and poured it the broth.

"It's supposed to be...AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Maya leaped back, startled by Shinji's yell.

"What's wrong!?"

"I poured the wrong thing in!" He shut off the fire and looked at the "soup" in dismay. "_How'd I put soap in the soup!? I swear it was the sesame oil._" He then slouched in depression, as he usually did.

"Don't feel too bad Shinji." Shinji looked at her, confused by her words. "I mean...we can go out...if you want." A slight blush careened across her face.

"Uh..b..b...b..but..I...ye..ie" was all he could stammer out

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. If ya don't get ready soon, it'll be packed real soon" she hinted as she walked out the kitchen.

"_Maybe a date with Maya doesn't sound bad at all_" he thought. He then blushed realizing how he just said it.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

**I'm sorry if it's short and once again am sorry about the huge delay. I have college apps to do. Please read and review and thanks for your support. I'm open to suggestions too**

**MarioMan247**


End file.
